Galiotto's turn at the top Galiotto's turn at the top (January 13, 2006)

New mayor known for his open-mindedness, listening skills

By Jon Wiener

Nick Galiotto's unanimous selection as mayor by his council colleagues Tuesday night marks the culmination of a career in public service that has spanned five decades.

He served for 25 years on the Mountain View Police Department, spent more than a decade in a private law practice, and did stints on the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and the city's environmental planning commission. He first won a spot on the council in a special election in 2002, then won again in 2004.

But before all that, he sold paper products.

"The customer was always right, no matter what they said or thought," said Galiotto. "When I entered law enforcement, I thought, now's my chance to always be right."

He was quickly disabused of that notion.

By the late 1960s, Galiotto was a lieutenant on the Mountain View police force, and the commanding officer at the scene of a domestic violence dispute when the suspect grabbed a shotgun. As Galiotto was trying to set up a perimeter around the house, the situation took a turn for the worse when the suspect managed to take an officer hostage.

The suspect wound up backing into another officer who was concealed behind the house. Galiotto heard shots being fired. By the time he got there, the suspect was dead and the first officer had been shot in the leg so badly that he would never be able to return to duty.

It marked the first time that Mountain View police had shot and killed a suspect as well as the first time a uniformed officer had taken a bullet. For Galiotto, it was a formative experience that stressed to him the importance of handling difficult situations with care.

"It's something where you worry for months afterward, 'What could I have done to prevent that?'" he recalled. "I have come to believe that you should be able to negotiate before you reach that point."

Today, the 70-year-old Galiotto is well respected by his council colleagues for his open-mindedness and critical thinking. He spent the last year as a vice mayor, where he demonstrated a rare ability to take into account several sides of a debate before making a decision.

Matt Neely, who served as mayor in 2005, said that Galiotto continues to impress him with his approach to the issues the council faces.

"He is deep thinker," said Neely, "clearly compassionate about this city, and is perhaps the best listener of the group. These traits will make him an excellent mayor."

The position of mayor is largely ceremonial, generally going to the longest-serving council member who has not yet held the post. The job grants some influence over the council's schedule and control over the length of debate. But the largest benefit is the pulpit that it gives.

Galiotto has earned a reputation of trying to find middle ground, and is often the last to voice his opinion on 4-3 votes.

During last year's budget cycle, he fought hard in an unsuccessful bid to dip into reserves rather than cut administrative positions in the police department. And he plans to continue to lobby on behalf of public safety.

"We have certain reserves that are being over-funded compared to the target amount," Galiotto said. "It's not satisfying to me as a resident to say half our serious crimes are solved."

His other goals include getting the council to pay closer attention to the city's emergency preparedness plan and jumpstarting and expanding a slate of energy efficiency initiatives, like the retrofitting of the city's fleet.

Galiotto's first order of business Tuesday was to preside over an election for vice mayor that briefly turned nasty. With council member Greg Perry clearly on his way to a victory, his colleague Laura Macias read a harshly critical prepared statement in which she said Perry lacked the ability to treat others with respect or form consensus.

"These leadership capabilities are not in the skill set of this individual," said Macias.

Council members appeared stunned, and no one responded in Perry's defense. He eventually won on a 5-2 vote, with Mike Kasperzak joining Macias in voting no.

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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